Our PreK at Home Routine on a Budget

Today I wanted to talk about our pre-k at home routine, what life is like schooling at home, why we made the decision and some of the tools we use. 

Our decision to pull Ryals out of pre-k in keep him at home was purely geographical. We moved 30 minutes away from the place he was attending. We LOVED his little school, but it just became too much for all of us to be in the car for hours a day. 

So I made the decision to pull him from school and keep him at home. He is only three and I missed him. It has turned out to be the BEST decision. 

Our days are peaceful and fun and Isaac LOVES having his brother home. 

Our routine:

We begin our day with a little morning prayer. 

"Thank you Jesus for today. Please protect us while we play. In Your name we pray, Amen." 

Then we make breakfast. Ryals helps with this and I really do consider it part of our PreK. Cooking teaches them so many things from colors and shapes to counting, telling time, and chemistry (yes, he is too young for chemistry, but we talk about the different changes of things). 

Then we have free play. I will put on some music and we play for a little while and I get some household chores completed. 

Then we do a craft, paint or coloring project. This gives us an oppertunity to talk about colors, numbers, shapes. We focus on a different theme each month and week. 

I use a great book called Where is Thumbkin to help me come up with ideas. It is great for toddlers and preschoolers. Each month's theme is based on a nursery rhyme or song. It gives you craft ideas, books you can read and extension activities. 

We go to the library. Twice a week we visit our local libraries for story and craft time. It is a more structured opportunity to learn to listen, follow direction and play with their peers. 

We play outside. I feel like "go outside" is just my overall parenting philosophy. Being in the fresh air and sunshine solves a multitude of problems. And we have a great learning opportunity through play.

I believe kids learn so much through nature, being outside and just have the opportunity to play in an open-ended manner. 

We use every opportunity to learn something. If the garbage truck comes by we talk about what the truck is doing, where the truck is going. I ask how many wheels it has, what color is the truck? How many people are in it? 

When it comes to pre- K at home I think, for our family, it's important to have a consistent routine but allow for margin. 

It's less about structure and more about letting my children be little and go at their own pace. 

What about you? Do you pre-k at home?  

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